A Hero to Be
by Kung Fu Butterfly
Summary: A young andalite wishes to be a hero, more so than even Elfangor. But when he crash lands on earth, falls in love for the human who cared for him, and sees what he's up against...
1. Prologue

Ribil-Cornae-Exnesus  
  
I stood alone in my ship, my hooves planted defiantly into the grass just in front of the control panel and my stalk eyes poised on the open space before me. But all I could see was countless stars and occasional planet, all of which a kept a far distance from. Days had gone by, dull, boring hours. I wanted action and I was ready to battle anything that posed a threat to the Andalite Empire.  
  
I suppose that is big talk for an aristh. Well, if I was under the command of a prince and had the grading of an aristh. But no, I was a lone warrior, ready for battle. I had accomplished my basic training in the Dome ship, and that was all I needed. I could perfect my skills on my own. I only needed a few Yeerks to practice on.   
  
I left the Dome ship several months ago. I wanted to become a legend, bigger than any name, even Elfangor's name. In fact, I wanted Elfangor to stand in my shadow. I was so young and foolish then.  
  
Elfangor was the reason why I decided to fight solo. The dome ship received an urgent message from him. A few ship where sent out to his aid. I slipped out as well. I knew if I saved the great Elfangor, my name would be spoken here and there. It would be the start to all my great accomplishments. Young and foolish. I...borrowed... one of the ships, rewired the controls so that "my" ship wouldn't appear on any radar and set out shortly after the others. The problem was, in my rush I hadn't acquired the exact coordinates. And because I had to linger far behind the aiding ships, I eventually lost them.   
  
My rebellious attempt to prove myself ended in vain. My computer caught a signal on its way to the Dome ship. Elfangor was dead. So there I was, in a more or less primitive section of space floating around and waiting for anything to happen. I couldn't remain too much longer or my fuel cells would burn empty. But that day, what I was waiting for happened.  
  
I was floating lazily when my computer beamed up.  
  
Incoming message to Dome ship  
  
Pick it up I perked up greatly. At least it was a break from my computer games. All four of my eyes focused of the holographic screen that appeared in front of me.   
  
The signal was from an Andalite named Aximilli-Esgarrouth-Isthill. It was a distress signal, he was somewhere on a planet called Earth.   
  
Computer calculate the coordinates It only took a few seconds for a set of numbers and letters to be programmed in.  
  
This was perfect. The Dome ship was light years away and it would take months for any help to reach the planet. I would be the first one there. This was the exact opportunity I needed. I had no idea what I was in for. 


	2. First Battle

The planet was not too far away from where I was. I traveled very quickly. Since reinforcements were coming, I could get more fuel from them. It only took around a month before my ship approached a small, blue, green, and white planet.   
  
The planet looked innocent, peaceful even. I watched it grow larger in my window. The ship was calm and quiet as it had been for such a long time now.   
  
REEAAAT! REEEAATT!  
  
The sound caused me to jump in complete surprise. The computer popped up, flashing danger on the holographic screen. The image of a familiar ship appeared. An enemy ship.  
  
Enemy Bug Fighters approaching. This ship is locked as a target. The computer said pleasantly, dispute the sudden danger.  
  
Bug Fighter?--- YEERKS?! How did they see me?! The fur along my spine was bristled up, I could see the Bug Fighter approaching from the planet. I had no idea Yeerks were involved in this! I thought it was a simple rescue mission! My hearts were thumping wildly, I was not prepared for this.  
  
Then I realized it: yes I was. This was why I came out here. I wanted the action and here it was! I suddenly wasn't shocked and fearful anymore, but a brave war hero.  
  
Computer, engage firearms! A missile fire/ control device was offered to me.  
  
There are four Bug Fighters. You are outnumbered. I ignored the computer. Four ships? No problem. I locked onto the closest approaching Fighter. Suddenly, a wave of green missiles hurdled at me. My eyes went wide and my hearts skipped a beat.  
  
TSWEE! TWEE! TSWEE!  
  
AAAAAHHH!!! My trembling hands jerked the ship through a wild maze of green shots. I was barely avoiding the shots!  
  
PANGPANG!  
  
AAAHH!!!! I screamed again. I had been hit!   
  
Warning. The ship has been hit. The computer was only an annoying insect to me. Every cell in my brain was completely focused on the Bug Fighters. I briefly glanced down with one stalk eye to see the screen. The location of the damages was not fatal for now, but I would need to land. Soon.  
  
There all four of them were surrounding me now. With a damaged ship and being surrounded, my chances of winning were slim. I needed to land on that planet.  
  
Incoming message from Bug Fighter  
  
Ignore. I locked onto Fighter directly in the way between the planet and me.  
  
TSWEETSWEETSWEE!!!  
  
I unleashed my own wave of missiles at the enemy. Before they hit, I took off full-bast to the planet. My move must have startled the Yeerks, the one I aimed at didn't have a chance. Almost all my shots hit.  
  
Enemy destroyed.  
  
YES! The ship exploded into a blast of particles and shock waves. AAAHHHHH!!!! My whole body clenched as the ship dove into the blast. 


	3. Welcome to Earth

AHHHH!!!  
  
The ship shuddered violently and the power deactivated as I plowed into the explosion. Only a second passed by. The collage of particles that blinded my window gave way to the blackness of space. I made it through!  
  
POWER INITIATE! I screamed at the computer. The dark ship suddenly shook and came alive with lights and sounds.  
  
The ship is in immediate demand of repair. Fuel cells at 3%  
  
I know! I know! I was pushing the ship at full throttle to the planet. Where would I land?! A series of green beams were fired from behind, chasing after me. The Bug Fighters were on my tail!  
  
Kwa-BAAM!  
  
The ship shook like a giant Antarean Bogg was tossing it around.  
  
Right engine destroyed. Ship zzt incapable ztt of landing.   
  
More green beams were hurdling towards me. One on the Bug Fighters was on my flank, I could see the shape of a Hork-Bajir Controller. The firearm aimed.  
  
TSWEE!  
  
Another violent shudder and my window were covered by an explosion. I screamed, my head dizzy from adrenaline, fear, and bizarre excitement.   
  
EngZTTne destroyed. SysTEZM majZR malZTTfunction Sparks were flying out of the control panel. There was a brief clearing from the smoke for me to see I was plummeting down from the planet's atmosphere. The ship spun crazily, out of control, the alien ground was rushing up to meet me. I heard my own blood-curdling scream.  
  
Everything went silent.  
  
I never heard the sound the ship made as it made crude contact with the ground. I never felt the pain as my body was slammed around like child's toy. And when the ship finally stopped moving, I had to wait for the world to stop spinning before I could think.   
  
I didn't bother looking at my body. I didn't want to look at my body. I focused on the screen, which miraculously remained on, though it was so scrambled and disrupted I could barely see anything. I caught one word in the jumble though; self-destruct. THE SHIP WAS GOING TO EXPLODE! I struggled to my hooves, beyond joy since my legs still functioned. What was once the ship's door was a now large hole. I didn't care, it was an exit and I scrambled for it. My hearts dropped to my hooves as I skidded to a stop before leaping out. That leap would have been a sheer plunge, I was on a cliff and the drop was the length of my ship times three.  
  
I could feel the ship preparing to self-destruct. I had to either jump and die or wait here and die! I don't know what caused me to do it, but my muscles coiled and I threw myself into the planet's blue sky. I didn't bother screaming. My eyes were closed and my life was whizzing my inside my head. My stomachs felt like they were not inside me anymore as gravity pushed me down to see my death.  
  
Kah-BOOOOOOOOOM!  
  
My eyes opened. My stalk eyes, I mean. I couldn't open my main eyes for some reason. I either felt no pain at all or there was so much that I couldn't feel it. The world was a shifting mass of light and colors. The formation of blurs became sharper until I could recognize what was around me. There was nothing to "recognize" in an alien planet. There was something directly in front of my face. Something alive. Two brilliant green eyes. Just two. Centered on an oval, dark peach face that also held what must have been a nose and... mouth. Outlining the face was extremely long fur that began at the scalp. I didn't bother with the details of the alien, I was caught it its direct, piercing gaze. The alien made some noises that came from the mouth but sounded very far away. My world went black. 


	4. Selene

I was drifting inside my head. It seemed... I couldn't always tell what was dream or reality. Those two eyes, staring straight through me.... There were times I thought I was awake, watching some strange two-legged creature move around me. Maybe I was awake. Other times, I was back home, or in the Dome ship. It was difficult to distinguish everything.  
  
My eyes opened, all four of them. This time was real, not a dream, I could tell. I was lying on the planets ground. An extremely primitive shelter was around me, small but comfortable. Where had that come from? Around me where various bowls of substances, cloth, and many other items I did not recognize. Not too far from me was a small fire. I gazed at the fire, mesmerized by its colors and flickering. I had not seen a real fire for a long time; we used better means for heat and melting back home.  
  
I broke my stare from the fire to myself. I could feel pain, but it seemed...diluted. My two front legs were splinted and bandaged. My right arm was bandaged. My chest was as well. My swiveled my stalk eyes back to see the rest of my body, only to find it hidden beneath a large, heavy cloth. My brain was starting to work now, lifting me from the drunk dizziness I was in.   
  
The door to the shelter swung open, I snapped all four eyes on it. The creature came in, the two-legged one. It stopped, frozen when it saw I was awake. By instinct, my tail rose to twitch. But my tail didn't come up. The muscles of my tail where struggling, but my tail was forced to say down. I was going into a panic! I was vulnerable without my blade! I was struggling, trying to kick out my back legs to free my tail. My stalk eyes jerked back- the heavy cloth had flipped over during my kicking and I could see my tail was tied down tightly. My tail! I had no defense!  
  
I was kicking out with everything now, and my sight was getting fuzzy. The creature rushed over to me, laying its five-fingered hands on my shoulders and gently pushing me down.  
  
"Easy, calm down, would ya?" The sounds from its moth sounded not near as far away, but I wasn't listening. I had to get out of there!  
  
"Calm down! You're just going to hurt yourself!" I still wasn't listening and even if I was, I didn't understand what it was saying.  
  
LET ME GO! I could feel my energy draining. No! I had to get out! With one burst of energy, I jerked my tail, the ties snapped and I was free!   
  
But instead of getting up and running away like I wanted to, my muscles were giving in. The creature was speaking, but its voice was fading. Everything was getting darker. My world went black... again.  
  
I was in my own world again, thinking about what had happened. Why had I panicked? I hadn't even thought about it, I just went into a panic. I hadn't thought about speaking to the alien. It was trying to help me….  
  
My eyes opened slowly. The alien was there, watching me, and as soon as I woke it stood up.  
  
"Are ya gonna freak out again?" It spoke. My translator chip needed more words before I could understand what it was saying.   
  
Thank you, for helping me. It looked amazed. I think. It must have understood what I was saying. I hesitated before speaking. I'm… sorry. For panicking.   
  
I wish I had researched this species before coming to their planet so I could tell what their facial expressions meant. Or least how to tell the difference between sexes. The corners of its mouth turned up.  
  
"Don't sweat-uh… don't worry about it. I'm Selene." I simply stared at it, waiting for it to continue. It gave me a strange look that involved one thin line of fur above the eye to lift up. To my amazement, it knelt down to my level. This species must have had better balance than what they looked. It pointed to itself and repeated.  
  
"Selene." I understood then, it was telling me its name.  
  
I am- I paused. It was probably to primitive to understand my full name. Ribil  
  
The corners of its mouth turned up again, more so than the last time. I noticed as a few strands of that long, brown fur tumbled off its shoulder. As if by second nature, it pulled the strands back and tucked them behind its oddly shaped ear. I found the fur attractive…well...compared to the rest of it. I still needed some more words to understand.  
  
Where am I?   
  
The alien did a strange movement that involved swinging its legs in front of it and crossing them. It looked painful to me.  
  
"Well, you're obviously not from around here, so earth for one. You… "landed" right in the middle of nowhere, Montana. And this is a lean-to, a temporary shelter since I couldn't pick you up and take you to my house. I don't think anyone would help me either if they knew you were here."  
  
My translator chip came on and I understood the last few words.  
  
What is your species? I spoke to it with simple words.   
  
"We're called humans."  
  
You are the intelligent race on this planet?  
  
"Uh… yea."  
  
And you are male or female?  
  
It gave me that strange look again then made a sound that must have been laughter.   
  
"I'm a female." I didn't see what was funny about that.  
  
Note: I am nooooooowwwww tried of writing and shall update another time. Thank you, come again. J 


End file.
